Mudblood
by i'mjustwriting16
Summary: Everybody had such high expectations of Hermione Granger... The golden girl! Part of trio! This means her new job causes quite a stir amongst those who expected different of the squeaky clean muggle born. Despite gossiping amongst themselves, nobody dares tell her anything or speak up... Until maybe it is too late... Please give this a chance... First story :)
1. Chapter 1

Hermione had always prided herself on her logic, intuition and intelligence, but even with a combination of all three of these... She could not solve her current problem.

Hermione could race through several books a week, keep up with nearly double the amount of subjects in her third year as anybody else or even have the foresight to of kept her beaded bag packed at all times in their would be final year at Hogwarts... As a young girl still in muggle school, she had worked out equations that her teachers could sometimes struggle with, and was always reading ahead of the class on the Shakespearean texts.  
>It was a general fact that she was brainy, and everybody expected great things.<p>

"Where much is given, much is required!" her mother had always said to her whenever she complained that others were not having to work so hard.

So it was a shock to everybody when Hermione finished school, and began working at Borgin and Burkes. Nobody asked her directly why she did this... But they muttered, rather audibly at that, about how she was losing her touch. When she completely updated and revamped the store, adding in a specialist book section (she was Hermione Granger after all!) signed partnership deals with stores all over the world, people began to shift uncomfortably. Maybe she was not losing her touch for brains, rather for good uses... That was the general thought running through peoples minds, but again nobody voiced it.

When the highly unpopular oily shopkeeper died, it was written in his will that Miss Granger now possess the store, as he had no children himself. This caused more mutters than ever, and a few raised eyebrows as to how such a seemingly sweet and innocent girl had gotten into such a mans good books, and ultimately do extremely well off a man not famed for generosity. Nothing, as you can probably guess by now, was said aloud though.

It was after this event, that Miss Granger's current problem arose. Walking in with out the usual tinkle of a bell that normally announced a customer. Hermione was perusing one of the large, once dusty, books fresh from the back of the store. It was after all break time, and she was making the most of it.

The young man that walked in appeared around her own age, his dark hair and clothes making his pale skin seem even more so. He walked steadily to the desk, his legs striding confidently towards her. Placing a slip of paper in the page she was reading before closing it, Hermione turned to greet him.

He spoke barely a word other than to declare he was looking for work. After an interview and a brief glance at his grades and intellect, it was clear he could have received any high position in the wizarding world he wished for. When she asked him about it, he merely shrugged and said she ought to understand, which caused her to bristle so much she considered denying him the post... But he was quite insistent, and with his qualifications, it was clear he was more than up to the job and willing to fight for it.

People around town noticed that soon after this employment was announced, Miss Granger grew more distant with her friends and past acquaintances, growing seemingly more and more introverted. Spending hours holed up in her office, some whispered she was thinking up some mastermind plan... Others muttered that her pack of sustaining friendships was taking it's toll on her. Fewer still murmured that it was some secret she knew. Yet nobody ever spoke up.

Nobody knew of the frequent meetings her new employee held with Miss Granger, nobody asked. Each night he walked to her rooms, to see her.

To anybody that would of seen that, wrong ideas may of been thought up... But stimulating conversations, of matters most dare not consider, was the only kind of "forbidden fruit" the pair partook of.

An unspoken arrangement was made between them to keep there relationship secret. Hermione discovered several things from him as they talked late into the nights each day. And each fact made it more plausible to keep this all secret.

First was the fact he was not from this time. He never stated exactly where he was from, but Hermione was the smartest witch of her age... And she narrowed it down a lot...

Then there was the time he let slip his "followers" would be waiting for him back home, which he hastily covered up with a cough and "friends"

The time he said he was on a special mission, made the scars on her arm tingle for some strange reason.

Then he spoke of how his teachers loved him as a student. All but one, who never seemed to trust him.

Over time, they grew closer... And he confessed deeper things all the time... Like how he wished people could see past the typical Tom he always felt. How he wanted to change his name if that's what it took.

Not being slow in anyway, Hermione pieced things together. She knew, or rather... Subconsciously she knew, what was going on. But when he listened to her ideas, considered them... Challenged them with arguments equally as demanding... It made her heart race. Nobody had ever understood her desire for more knowledge constantly, how she wanted people to see past the typical muggleborn. How she had the approval of teachers, apart from one.

He completely understood her. Maybe it was that made her not realize how everything else was falling into place. Or maybe she did, but just as her subconscious knew... It ignored.  
>Then one day he cast a spell. Which brought all her fears to the surface... So she tried, she got it into her head to tell him. When he came round later, she broached the subject of how close they had become and how he could tell her ANYTHING.<p>

Perhaps mistaking the meaning, he leaned across and kissed her. His lips cold against hers, hard and pressed firmly against her mouth. Yet not unpleasant... It sent warmth flooding to her, made her feel more alive than she had in the past few years, even including their chats.  
>After a while they broke apart, slightly breathless, and she completely forgot what she meant to say. Or did she? She now felt she set out to instigate this. It was what she wanted, and all seemed perfect.<p>

Still nobody said anything on the matter, at least not to the couples themselves anyway, and this secret relationship made everything all the more exciting. The official word was that they were discussing "business" on the 23rd of March, late at night as that was when the store closed at last.

It was on that night that the recently appointed shop assistant to Miss Granger, put the "closed" sign up early in the shop window, and headed to Miss Granger's rooms.  
>After knocking, he promptly entered of his own accord and walked (as was his way) purposefully inside.<p>

That was anybody outside would of seen, anybody inside would of seen him slowly walk up the stairs to find a sobbing Hermione clutching a bottle in one hand. But of course, nobody did. Because nobody spoke or questioned them. If they had though, if they had only just bothered...

He sat down carefully beside her, trying to pry the bottle from her hands. To no avail, as she clung onto it tighter, refusing to release it.

His handsome face was twisted in confusion, as he lifted her head up gently, trying to kiss her. It always seemed to help her in the past. Calmed her. Soothed her. Today she held up a and to stop him though.

"I know who you are!" she slurred, splashing the drink over herself in the process. Its brown liquid spilling onto her grey skirt, smelt to strong for such an innocent girl. What had happened?

"Mione... I love you, whats wrong? I don't get it..."

Then, as suddenly as if nothing happened, she leaned forward and kissed him. A role reversal perhaps, but Tom was not complaining. As she moved her mouth against his, he caught a whisper. She was trying to speak... Or so it seemed, but how could he tell? Eventually he caught what she said.

"Voldemort." He froze, did she care? Had she decided that was it now then... Would she demand he leave? Kill him? Hand him to the Dementors?

"Look... I know it's ... You have to understand..."

Trembling, she pulled her top off over her head. Exposing herself, as she stood there in the dining room dimly lit by candles.

"Woah, hey... what are y-" She held her arm out in silence, a word shone in red.

Mudblood.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, so this is the second chapter, I didn't do a disclaimer thing for the last one... So here goes, I don't won anything in this story at all. If I did I wouldn't be writing it on here trust me. :p

Please be nice, as this is my first story on here and I am not really sure what I am doing.

The Leaky Cauldron was full of gossip that night; Tom (the wizened and toothless old landlord) did many a roaring trade. People from all over town turned up, ordering many a drink and meal as they sat on their tables. He knew why of course, latest gossip from Borgin and Burkes. Everybody had turned out so discuss the new situation.

"I had that's what the meeting was about..." Exclaimed one woman as she sipped her butterbeer whilst talking to her neighbour, a rather large man holding a Firewhiskey.  
>"I think she is getting back what she did to that previous one." he replied, " whoever he was... That young man, just like her really."<p>

They were talking about the same thing everybody was, Miss Granger and a Mr Thomas Riddle. Nobody seemed to know who he was, but they had seen him turn up and seen him pottering around the shop. They all suspected something was amiss, and when Miss Granger announced she was leaving the shop to Mr Riddle, as she was leaving the Country... It was only a matter of minutes before the word spread and everybody came to the Leaky Cauldron to discuss this latest turn out of events.

"Did you know he was seen going into her rooms late at night?" a woman called, in a hushed voice, that (whether because the amount of her drink she had consumed, or simply because she was loud by nature) was really not that quiet or hushed at all.

At this remark, the pub fell silent, till a sudden surge of people offered to buy her drinks. After she was presented with at least a dozen to start, she began to speak. Smacking her lips together eagerly.

"Well, he was always going up there now I think. Coming down before dawn mind, lights stayed on all night of course." She slurped her drink again, her entire audience held captive by the story. (Even Tom was no longer pretending to wipe down the bar) "But the night she decided all this... He went up there, and he didn't cone down." a collective gasp rang through the room. Miss Granger... Who would of thought...?

"They had a business meeting." said a quiet voice from a corner near the fire. Heads swivelled to this voice, eager for it to finish. But it just reached for his drink and took another drink.

"Yes, that was the story," snapped the woman, "and I daresay it's believable... But what business meeting runs through the night? And in the dark?" at this comment people started nodding, muttering amongst themselves. "Say what you like sir, but they were not just business partners." she seemed to deliberate for a moment before adding, "and I don't think Mr Riddle was just a romantic interest either if you ask me." Another large gulp of her drink, "I heard a scream."

It was agreed by many that night, that whatever physical relationship the two had been involved in... One, or both, had also had other motives. It was the only explanation for the flash of green, but then again... Nobody saw that.

And again, apart from the gossipers, nobody questioned what the woman said. It was decided they had been involved, and Hermione Granger had had a taste of her own medicine.

The only one who knew otherwise, was the man sat by the fire. His pale face flickering under his cloak in the fires light. He knew because he was there.

And he would also never tell.


	3. 3

Thanks to people that reviewed and told me what they thought about if I should carry on or not. I gather the overall feeling was that the ending would be best left, and so I will leave it at that. Thank you for your feedback though.

I would thank you all individually for reading my story, I was very nervous about how it would be received, but I am short on time and so I'll just say I appreciated it.


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